Harold Becket
Harold Becket (born 1968) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2002 (interrupting Kathleen Urban's terms) and from 2020 to 2023 (succeeding Ernest Oliver and preceding Harold Uxbridge). Biography Harold Becket was born in London, England in 1968, and he grew up in the Islington borough. He was a union official before entering politics as a Labour Party member. In 2000, he was elected Labour leader ahead of the year's general election. After the 2000 election, in which his party won a narrow majority (but not a working majority), he was backed by the Scottish National Party in his bid for the premiership, but he lost 12-18 due to the rebellion of his MPs May Adrian and Edward Lambern, making him Leader of the Opposition under Prime Minister Ernest Oliver. In 2001, however, he was narrowly elected Prime Minister in a vote of 14-13, with half of the Lib Dems and one UKIP MP rebelling to support him over the incumbent Prime Minister Kathleen Urban. The party narrowly failed to save the housing tax, which unusually pitted UKIP against its anti-tax Conservative Party and Lib Dem allies. With UKIP and some Conservative support in addition to the support of its usual SNP allies, the government continued road maintenance programs, and the government narrowly defeated an effort to abolish the citizen's voting age due to the abstention of 8 MPs, leaving the 11 MPs against the law without a majority of votes. The government was defeated in its efforts to approve party funding, but, in early 2002, the government tied the Conservatives with 23.32% of the vote each; Labour was now tied for having the largest share of votes, as well as for having the most seats (7 each). However, the election was detrimental to Labour, as it saw their SNP allies be reduced to 5 seats, while UKIP rose to 5 seats. The government's last act was to vainly opposed a school bus tax, which was approved in a vote of 19-7. A week later, Urban was re-elected Prime Minister in a vote of 17-11, leading to the fall of Becket's government. Second government In 2020, after 18 years in opposition and several failed leadership bids, Becket finally returned to the premiership after receiving 22.5% of the vote in a direct election, a new system which had been in place since 2015. His government failed in its support for a child benefit program (which failed 12-7), successfully defeated a party funding bill 18-7, supported the maintenance of the church tax 14-10, and supported a pollution tax which failed 15-14. Several efforts to raise taxes failed due to the Lib Dems and Conservatives' opposition, and UKIP would only serve as an occasional ally. In the mid-2021 general election, UKIP won 29.87% of the voote and 9 seats, Labour won 22.54% and 7 seats, the Lib Dems won 19.01% and 6 seats, the Tories won 18.5% and 5 seats, and the SNP won 10.09% and 3 seats. In the premiership election, Becket won 22.3% of the vote, thus winning re-election. Parliament went on to abolish the voting age of 21, voted to keep the custom duty, abstained from the vote on gun prohibition (which failed 13-2), voted 16-6 against prime ministerial term limits, voted 18-3 in favor of national holidays, voted 10-4 in favor of maintaining the government scholarship, voted 12-9 in favor of the corporate tax, voted 14-10 in favor of keeping the port tax, voted 19-4 in favor of an immigration ban, voted 17-4 to reduce the constitutional amendment threshold to 50%. defeated a luxury tax bill 14-9, and passed a bank tax 15-12. In mid-2022, the general election saw UKIP achieve 30.59% of the vote and 9 seats, Labour won 22.30% and 7 seats, the Tories won 20.05% and 6 seats, the Lib Dems won 16.52% and 5 seats, and the SNP won 10.51% and 3 seats. In the ensuing two-man presidential race, Becket won with 53.1% of the vote to Uxbridge's 46.9%. He went on to abolish nuclear test sites in a vote of 12-10, but he failed to create an air pollution monitor. His government approved free museums in a 21-4 vote with bipartisan support, abolished press freedom in a 16-10 vote, supported the abolition of the citizen's vote in a 19-9 vote, created a child benefit law after a 13-4 vote, and outlawed gambling after an 18-10 vote. In the general election two weeks later, UKIP won 28.02% of the vote and 9 seats, Labour won 23.02% and 7 seats, the Tories won 21.06% and 6 seats, the Lib Dems won 16.6% and 5 seats, and the SNP won 11.31% and 3 seats. Becket then narrowly lost the prime ministerial election with 49.6% of the vote to Uxbridge's 50.4%. Category:1968 births Category:British politicians Category:British Category:Politicians Category:Agnostics Category:Labour Party members Category:British social democrats Category:Social democrats Category:EnglishCategory:Living people